Accused Olympic athlete-turned-drug lord busted for drug deal in San Diego in 2008 NBC 7 San Diego [Video]

An Olympic snowboarder accused of running a massive international drug trafficking operation to smuggle cocaine into Canada was prosecuted nearly 15 years ago in San Diego for conspiracy to possess and distribute 24 kilos of cocaine.

Ryan James Wedding, 43, an Olympic snowboarder was charged this week, along with 15 others, for allegedly running a massive, murderous international drug trafficking operation to smuggle cocaine into Canada from Colombia through Mexico, federal authorities announced Thursday.

Wedding, a Canadian citizen who competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, allegedly ran a criminal enterprise that smuggled 16 tons of cocaine to Canada every year, which would make it the largest cocaine supplier to the country. Prosecutors on Thursday called him an “Olympic athlete-turned-drug lord”

Wedding, who is also known as “El Jefe,” and his co-conspirator, Andrew Clark, were also accused of committing murders over stolen drugs or drug …